Anti-racist actions across the country

On Saturday September 30, anti-racist protesters mobilized in cities across Canada to oppose rallies organized by the racist, anti-immigrant Storm Alliance. Below is a roundup of reports from some of the rallies.

Niagara Falls

About 200 people rallied in Niagara Falls on September 30 to say 'No room for Hate in Niagara'. The protest was organized by the Niagara AntiRacism Coalition in response to a planned rally by the anti-refugee group Storm Alliance.

After hearing from several speakers including from the Niagara Regional Native Centre and the Steelworkers Toronto Area Council, the vibrant rally shouted down a handful of bigots. Organizer Karrie Porter stated, "This is just the beginning. Hate is not going to spread in Niagara."

Peterborough

Hundreds of anti-racist activists mobilized to shut down the racist Canadian Nationalist Front's planned demonstration in downtown Peterborough. The racists only mustered a tiny number of people, a humiliating defeat. The action, part of a Solidarity Weekend to stop neo-nazis from marching, was a huge success.

As one of the organizers explained, "We turned around a national news story about an anti-immigration rally into a story of people coming together in a commitment to end white supremacy… we united and took back our public space."

Vancouver

Anti-racists protested at the Peace Arch to stand up to racism and intolerance of Storm Alliance. We are happy to say that we outnumbered the racists, and ruined their little protest. They pouted and shouted and even briefly unplugged our sound generator but we prevailed!

People were treated to the Carnival band which drowned out the racists chants. Speakers included: Eagle Eyes, Kari Michaels from BCGEU, Shanee Prasad, Lisa Descary and Rae Figursky from the BCTF, and Nour Enayeh.
 

Hamilton

In Hamilton more than 100 people stood up to the planned racist rally at city hall. In fact, the racists ran scared and cancelled their event when they found out that the counter protest had been organized. Indigenous activists and representatives from the Muslim Association of Hamilton and the Muslim Council of Greater Hamilton spoke. Canadian Labour Congress Secretary Treasurer Marie Clarke Walker came halfway across the country to join the rally.

Although the bigots didn’t show up, everyone spoke about the need to remain diligent to stop the hate wherever it shows up.

Ottawa

More than 200 people rallied at Parliament Hill today to oppose racism and Islamophobia. The crowd began to gather to oppose a planned rally by the far-right Canadian Coalition of Concerned Citizens, an umbrella group of different neo-Nazi and Islamophobic sects. Flags from several unions were present, including Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF), Ontario Public Sector Employees Union (OPSEU), United Steelworkers of America (USWA) and UNIFOR, as well as the Canadian Federation of Students.

After chanting "Refugees Are Welcome Here" the crowd moved to the eternal flame at the south end of Parliament Hill to hear speakers and a short hiphop performance by MC Mohammad Ali, aka The Socialist Vocalist. By this time, the CCCC group had grown to about three dozen, perhaps forty people in total.

By 1pm, the bigots called it a day, packing up their flags and sound system and skulking off Parliament Hill under police escort. The one message they had managed to make heard over the noise of the counter-protest was that all us counter-demonstrators were "anarchists, socialists and communists." This drew loud and sustained cheering from the counter-demonstrators, perhaps not the reaction the Islamophobes had intended.

Join the Unity Rally to End White Supremacy, Sunday October 15, 12noon at Queen’s Park, Toronto.